Chappy Ferry Owners Look to Sell the Service

The longtime owners of the Chappy Ferry will soon start the process of selling the business after nearly two decades of connecting Edgartown and Chappaquiddick.

Co-owners Peter Wells and Sally Snipes told the Edgartown select board Monday that they hope to sell the business to Brian Scall, who has been a captain for the ferry for over a year. 

“I go between teary eyed and feeling like a fifth grader on the first day of school vacation,” Mr. Wells said. 

The Chappy Ferry is the bridge between Chappy and Edgartown, transporting thousands of people and their cars the 527 feet across Edgartown harbor annually. Mr. Wells and Ms. Snipes bought the business in 2008.

There will be a public hearing on May 11 where the Edgartown select board will take comments from the townspeople and decide whether or not to allow the transfer of the license. The three-car ferry is privately-owned but operates under a lease and license from the town.

Both Mr. Wells and Ms. Snipes said they are thrilled to hand the business over and are confident Mr. Scall will navigate the waters well. 

“He knows more about the finances of the Chappy Ferry than I do,” said Mr. Wells.

“I think Brian will do a wonderful job and [the] people on Chappaquiddick will be really happy with him,” said Ms. Snipes.

Mr. Scall, 50, moved to Edgartown in 2020 with his wife Evan Scall, who works as a counselor for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, and their eight year-old son. They are from Hatteras, N.C., an island with a population of less than 400 people where he and his wife owned Dancing Turtle coffee shop and a charter boat business.

Mr. Scall has captained boats for more than 35 years, working with Hinckley Yachts, Sea Tow, MacDougalls’ and other private entities. He was also the customer service and global manager of a kiteboarding brand.

“I was asked by one of the captains, Brock [Callen], if I wanted to come drive the ferry one day…” Mr. Scall said. “I said ‘Okay,’ came and got on the boat and it’s kind of one of those things I fell in love with.”

If the board approves the license transfer, Mr. Scall will take over the entire business. It includes two ferries, the slips, the ramps, all of the equipment and the ferry house on both sides of the harbor. 

Nearly 100 people joined a Chappy Ferry steering committee meeting on Wednesday to ask Mr. Scall questions and learn more about the process of ownership transfer. The committee will make a recommendation to the select board on whether to approve the license transfer.

During the meeting Mr. Scall said he wants to bring up the level of customer service on the ferry by uplifting captains and increasing communication. He also intends to rebuild the ferry website and create an alerts system to quickly send information to ferry customers.

“We run into all kinds of situations and it’s very easy with modern technology to say ‘Hey guys, this just happened, the ferry line is extra long right now because a truck got stuck or somebody’s car broke down,’” he said.

Committee members asked Mr. Scall about plans to add a third ferry. He said he is exploring the idea but would first need detailed cost estimates and vessel designs that meet updated Coast Guard requirements.

Mr. Scall also discussed the ferry’s resident program, which offers discounted rates to year-round Chappaquiddick residents. Some have raised concerns about inconsistent eligibility and Mr. Scall said he’s looking into the financial components of the program.

“It’s already something I’ve dug deep into,” he said. 

Several committee members inquired about the ferry’s finances. 

Mr. Scall explained that he, Mr. Wells and Ms. Snipes signed a non-disclosure agreement that barred them from commenting on the financial circumstances of the sale until after the license transfer had been approved.

He did share that a group of financial backers will help him purchase the business, but he would retain total operational and financial control.

“I don’t have enough money to buy this myself — I don’t come from that world,” Mr. Scall said. “But I am lucky enough that I have made friends and clients through the years who do have that type of capital.” 

Several committee members said the lack of financial transparency was concerning. 

“All of those things will end up being an important determinant in terms of what people are going to have to pay to ride on the ferry,” said committee member Peter Getsinger.

The Chappy Ferry steering committee was formed in 2019 largely in response to concerns over ferry rate structures. Since then, the rates have increased by nearly 30 per cent, largely due to revenue shortfalls and growing costs.

A 12 per cent rate hike was approved back in July to help the business better meet costs of a ferry redesign needed to address sea-level rise. Mr. Scall told the Gazette that the plan is in place and he is committed to seeing it through.

Although the town has licensing oversight, only the select board has access to the ferry’s financial records. 

Mr. Scall said he is open to discussions about the ferry’s financial transparency. But he ultimately defended the right to maintain financial privacy. 

“This is a private business and we answer to the select board…” he said.

Some committee members proposed petitioning the select board to update the license agreement. 

“We spent a lot of time talking about a revised license and this is an opportunity for the town to seek modifications,” said committee chair Rick Schifter.

Mr. Wells and Ms. Snipes have been trying to sell the business for many years and said no interested parties have made it this far along. 

In 2022 when the Chappy ferry lease was due for renewal, an investor group made up of Chappy residents proposed buying the service which they said would have open financial books. However, the deal never materialized.

Mr. Wells has skippered the ferry since 1974 and said in retirement he plans to stay on as a captain from time to time. Mr. Wells said he is committed to playing an active role helping Mr. Scall through the transition, and thanked him for his family’s devotion to the ferry. 

“I’m grateful for their willingness to give me the opportunity to finally go home and to turn off my phone, my radio and my pager,” Mr. Wells wrote in his weekly column for the Gazette. “The ferry will be in good hands.”

Mr. Scall said he plans to hold the post for the long-term and can’t imagine a better way to spend his days than with the Island community on the water. 

“This is until the end,” Mr. Scall said.

Editor's note: this article has been updated with details from the Chappy Ferry steering committee meeting.

This article appears in April 3, 2026.